Suture loop techniques to facilitate microsurgical and laparoscopic procedures.

Suture loop techniques have been devised to facilitate suture tying during microsurgical and laparoscopic procedures. The needle-through-the-noose technique involves making a knot by passing the needle of a suture through a noose loop formed near the distal end of the suture. This technique prevents inadvertant slippage of the suture's free short end through tissues, replaces the difficult first throw with simple passage of a needle through a noose and equalizes the amount of tension applied on the suture as it slides smoothly within the noose. The needle-through-the-noose knot can stand alone with continuous sutures but requires one more tie in interrupted sutures. The clock loop technique is based on turning the suture clockwise and counterclockwise for making square knots with instruments.